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Sunday, July 12, 2015

San Francisco and Yosemite

A few weeks ago I had a work trip to San Francisco, and we took the opportunity to make it a family vacation - San Francisco, a trip to Yosemite National Park, and a few days in the Bay Area with H's extended family.

This was the first flight where L - now two - had to sit in his own seat, with a seat belt, and... it was trying. There is no way to keep an active two year old busy for 5.5 hours, especially one who isn't very interested in zoning out to movies or shows for any length of time. To all those people on that flight that he/we annoyed: well, welcome to economy class.

I don't really need to tell you how lovely San Francisco is: you know. Even if you haven't been there - you know. It's lovely, and after the humid and 90+ degree temps in New York City, the climate was just right.

After 4 days in SF where I was mostly conferencing, we picked up a rental car and headed to Yosemite. I had never been, but H. has. We stayed just outside the park ("just outside" = 20 minutes outside + 30 minutes to the valley floor), and drove in for each of our 3 days there.

One of my favorite sites was actually not in the park, but through and on the east side of it: Bodie State Historic Park is a former mining town, current ghost town and state park. It's preserved in the most remarkable way, and I've never seen anything like it.

Houses, churches, shops, hotels - 170 buildings remain, though it was abandoned in the 1940s and became a state park in the early 60s. If you are going to Yosemite, I *highly* recommend you plan a day to drive the Tioga Pass and over to Mono Lake and Bodie. This adventure will take you all day, but it's worth it.

L. is certainly discombobulated when we go on trips these days, and he was a bit confused and clingy and wasn't eating much/at all for most of it, but he was such a good kid. What a dreamboat.

We have one more major vacation this summer - next month we are spending a week in Maine with my parents, my best friend, her husband, daughter and mother. I cannot wait to spend some time by the ocean eating lobster and putting my feet up!

I'm so envious that you got to go to Yosemite. It was one place I wanted to visit before we left for Ireland and the timing just didn't work out because the only hotels in the park that were available were during the week. Boo. I'll just have to live vicariously through your pictures.

Your photos are gorgeous! Love all the wooden structures in the scrubby landscape. Glad you had a great trip and that you didn't get eaten by bears ;) When we stayed in Yosemite we could hear the bears beating up the lockers at night!